Vehicles: the real danger on Halloween

The hordes of tiny people darted door to door on Thursday night in their annual quest for treats, and Groveport police had plenty of eyeballs ready and waiting for them.

Theodore Decker, The Columbus Dispatch

The hordes of tiny people darted door to door on Thursday night in their annual quest for treats, and Groveport police had plenty of eyeballs ready and waiting for them.

When it comes to Halloween and trick-or-treating, officers know you can never have too many eyeballs.

Come Monday night, which most central Ohio communities have designated as Beggars Night, other police agencies will put their own battle plans into action in their attempts to ensure a safe and uneventful evening.

It’s no secret that Halloween poses risks for children. Some risks, such as the fear of poisoned candies and apples studded with razor blades, are overblown, experts say.

However, police warn that one threat is very real.

Studies throughout the years by agencies as diverse as the U.S. Department of Transportation and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have noted the dangers children face from vehicles around Halloween.

A CDC study found that, between 1975 and 1996, the number of deaths among young pedestrians was four times higher on Halloween night than on any other night of the year.

Between 1975 and 2002, Oct. 31 was the third-deadliest day for all pedestrians, according to the transportation department.

And in a study released last fall, the Ohio Department of Transportation found that the number of vehicle-pedestrian crashes nearly doubles in the last week of October.

Yet another study released this month by the organization Safe Kids Worldwide found that 89?p ercent of parents said their children took part in Halloween activities such as trick-or-treating, but only 35?percent talked with their kids about Halloween safety every year. Researchers said children need annual reminders because they aren’t used to being outside in the darkness and dealing with the many distractions of trick-or-treating.

Hyda Slone, community-relations officer for Hilliard police, said watching over the pint-size pedestrians is the department’s biggest challenge.

The same is true for Granville in Licking County, where Chief Jim Mason said police close part of N. Granger Street because of the heavy foot traffic. “Downtown is very active,” Mason said. “ Children don’t always cross at the intersections, so you have to be aware.”

In Groveport, police team up with cadets from Eastland Career Center’s criminal-justice program. Instructor Eric Wallace said his juniors and seniors help at events throughout the year to give them a taste of public service. Forty cadets helped out at Groveport’s Beggars Night last week.

“They kind of stick out from the regular citizen walking down the sidewalk,” Adams said.

They watch out for the kids, assist when they can, and call in officers when police are needed. Cadets have reunited lost children with their parents and reported reckless drivers, Adams said. “ They’ve been a very big asset for the Groveport Police Department. They are good witnesses.”